The agent of Funso Ojo, the Belgian midfielder hunting an exit from League Two Scunthorpe, has hit back after claims made by their chairman Peter Swann.
The Grimsby Telegraph reports that the player’s agent, agent Menno Groenveld, believes they did everything right to activate a release clause in his contract. He also reiterates the assertion his client does not want to play in League Two.
Ojo had a release clause in his contract that allowed him to leave for free in the event of the Iron dropping out of League One. They did, so his agent negotiated a move to SPFL side Hibernian.
It appears that the clause did not cover moves outside of the UK. Furthermore, Scunthorpe believe they made a reasonable offer to keep Ojo, which was met with a ridiculous demand, something his agent refutes.
“To put it in perspective the counter offer we made was less than what he earned the last two seasons,” he said.
“Regarding the basic wage per week salary, we only asked for 15 per cent increase on what they’ve offered. The response we had was that they didn’t want to make a new offer and that the contract proposal they’ve made was the first and final offer.
“In my experience working with multiple football clubs and completing nearly 150 transfers, this is a club that has shown unwillingness towards negotiating and willing to find a solution to keep the player at the club.”
He also denied suggestions that Ojo has said he will never play for the club again.
“As far as I am aware, Funso has never said he would not play for Scunthorpe again, we even see it as a good option to return in the future to SUFC as Funso has had a great time in England and also lives comfortably, so for us that chapter has not been closed.”
Our View
This is an ugly saga, which is not painting the Iron in a good light. It does seem that the player’s agent did everything he should; whether this is something that should be warmly welcomed is another matter, but it is the player’s right to leave under those circumstances.
In terms of public relations, the situation has been handled badly. Scunthorpe sound like a petulant child throwing little clauses into the mix late on, whereas Ojo comes across as a spoiled player eager to ditch his ailing employer.
The only winners here will be whoever signs Ojo, a composed and skilful midfield player.
